Charging on Tesla Supperchargers Blocked

[Lovemyev]

I have heard of Geniepoint and one of the lamppost charger suppliers doing the same.
The Charger people are charged different rates at different times of day I believe.

So, why don’t the charging companies offer cheaper prices to charge in off peak times ?.
I know this is not convenient for a lot of people, but the majority of the time, there is a HUGE number of large rapid units, just sitting there totally idle.
Why not allow people to save money and reduce pressure on the charging units in the day time, by offering customer significant cost savings by charging in the hours of low demand,
After all, then will be receiving the power cheaper themselves anyway ??.
Also helps balance the network as well !.

 

[Cocijo]

I’m surprised that this is not the case. It would not only spread the load but reduce costs and use greener energy.
Just like shopping 24hr at Tesco many EV owners would use an off-peak cheaper rapid public charging service I’m sure.

 

[Lovemyev]

I’m surprised that this is not the case. It would not only spread the load but reduce costs and use greener energy.
Just like shopping 24hr at Tesco many EV owners would use an off-peak cheaper rapid public charging service I’m sure.

I agree, if people could, then they would I am sure !.
The incentive on cost has to be the main driver here.
Millions of these charging units all over world in fact, are just sitting there twiddling their thumbs, taking in no revenue for about 8 - 10 hours each day.
I can't help but think that somebody, somewhere is missing out on a real business opportunity here.
It's a win / win situation for me I think ?.
Spread the load /demand in return for the customers, a MUCH cheaper "Off - Peak" charge rate to them late evening customers, plus reduces congestion at the chargers and therefore hopefully reduce the failure rates on heavier used older units that keep breaking down.
The big charging hubs should be in a better position to offer this type of service more quickly.
How many EV's are charging at Gridserve etc in the late evening or latter ?.
Not as many as there could be is my suggestion.

 

[Cocijo]

I wonder if public rapid charger operators actually get different off peak rates from their electricity providers?

 

[Lovemyev]

I wonder if public rapid charger operators actually get different off peak rates from their electricity providers?

If not, why not is the question ?.

 

[Cocijo]

If not, why not is the question ?.

I was thinking that if they do get cheap off-peak rates then why not encourage off-peak charging? Or perhaps that might impact their business model and eat into peak charging profits?
If they do get off-peak rates then it is wasted from what I can see as most don’t encourage off-peak charging or change the retail costs - so why have an off-peak deal anyway?

 

[Mike SOS]

Whilst on the subject of charging companies. Does anybody know about the Egg Company?

 

[Cocijo]

Whilst on the subject of charging companies. Does anybody know about the Egg Company?

I looked at this for my Daughter. Looks pretty good and we might go for it. I don’t know anyone who has yet - be good to get experiences. It might be worth starting a thread if there isn’t already one?

 

[Cocijo]

I forgot to mention - I don’t think it is that smart as far as tariffs and cheap off-peak automation is concerned. That’s my biggest concern that it‘s not future proof enough.

 

[emmrecs]

Does anybody know about the Egg Company?

I'd never heard of them before this mention so had a quick look at their website; seems pretty OK but their monthly contract is not exactly what I would call "cheap"! I realise it's basically spreading the cost of the charger over several (?three?) years with the option to add their Egg Plus service for
Remote monitoring and troubleshooting

“No fuss” repair-or-replace your charger if anything goes wrong

Smart charging EV app

Dedicated customer support

A quick look at their Trustpilot reviews shows a considerable majority very positive. But, I was struck, looking at the one-star reviews, how many of these refer to EV charger installation, operation or maintenance problems.

 

[Mike SOS]

What In can make of the Egg company. They only install home charging points and not an energy supply company.

 

[Cocijo]

What In can make of the Egg company. They only install home charging points and not an energy supply company.

Yes - I’m concerned how smart the wall boxes that they supply are.

 

[BugEyed]

Does anybody know about the Egg Company?

They are letting you buy a tethered Indra unit for £954 on 0% finance over 3 years with standard installation, plus another £3/month if you want their additional smart services. Not the best value, but if you are short of the cash up front it's a decent charger but with some confusion about demarcation between hardware and software. They are an offshoot of Phoenix Renewables who have been around for a long time and have a good reputation.

 

[Gomev]

I was thinking that if they do get cheap off-peak rates then why not encourage off-peak charging? Or perhaps that might impact their business model and eat into peak charging profits?
If they do get off-peak rates then it is wasted from what I can see as most don’t encourage off-peak charging or change the retail costs - so why have an off-peak deal anyway?

Ubitricity, one I had heard does this, explain here.

Pricing

Find ubitricity's latest price for pay as you go customers and get to know our pricing models for our charge points.

ubitricity.com

but the relevant point they say is

Electricity isn’t one price throughout the day. Between 4-7pm the price we pay to supply our charge points with electricity more than doubles due to peak demand on the national grid.

Rather than distribute this increased cost throughout our standard pricing. we’ve decided to limit this price increase to a peak window. This helps ensure we can offer the best value reduced rate to our customers for the majority of the day.

I believe Char.gy does similar.

As already mentioned, Geniepoint (Geniflex tariff) and Tesla are doing this, so maybe it is moving that way.

 

[Mike SOS]

Seeing this statement in todays news of economy 7 tariff was more expensive than the standard rates.
Andrea Robinson is a retired nurse from York. The village she lives in doesn't have any mains gas, so she is reliant on electricity to power and heat her home.
She was on the Economy 7 tariff, but after getting a letter from her supplier Octopus, saying her bill would rise by 8% in January, she decided to do the maths to work out how much she would be paying.
"I watch every penny. It just didn't make sense when I added up the numbers," she said.
"It looked like I would be paying about a pound a day more to be on Economy 7. If you work it out over a year that's over £300.
Andrea contacted Octopus and asked to be moved to the standard tariff. She is now paying less overall for her electricity and has changed the way she uses it.
"I've switched to using more electricity during the daytime hours and I don't bother getting up in the middle of the night to boost my heating system when it's cheaper."
I ask is the economy 7 tariff the same rate as the overnight charging rate for EV cars?

 

[smokie]

"It looked like I would be paying about a pound a day more to be on Economy 7. If you work it out over a year that's over £300."

Must've took some working out.


Serious answer, I think economy 7 varies from supplier to supplier and of course which is cheaper for you depends on your usage. If you are charging a bank of batteries which needs 6 hours a night then it might be cheaper to use than than, for instance, a 4 hour EV window, even though the unit cost may be more. Also the standing charge can vary quite a bit between tariffs.

 

[BugEyed]

I ask is the economy 7 tariff the same rate as the overnight charging rate for EV cars?

No, it's much more expensive than Go.

If you are charging a bank of batteries which needs 6 hours a night then it might be cheaper to use than than, for instance, a 4 hour EV window, even though the unit cost may be more.

Which is why Octopus are keeping non-EV owners off of Go and Intelligent. They lose money on the off-peak hours and make it on peak in comparison to standard variable.

The market has been distorted by the price cap which only is intended for single rate tariffs and is being applied to dual rate tariffs assuming that you switch 60% of your usage off-peak. Quite why the lady in the example quoted wasn't doing that is beyond me.

 

[smokie]

Go has always been intended for EV drivers, they just never used to enforce it. I think as one of the first ToU tariffs it has been very successful in encouraging people to look at how they use electricity, and where it goes, which is the first step towards delivering significant benefits to both the individual and the planet.

I remember some initiative I did with Eon years ago made me much more aware, and I can see from my records that during my time with them my usage went down by nearly 30%.

I'm not so sure Octopus lose much on Go as the wholesale energy is much cheaper overnight anyway, but as you say the day rate on Go is more than other tariffs.

 

[Cocijo]

Yes, it’s important to take into account the higher day rate when calculating your EV running costs. For example; Some will say they get overnight charging for 12p/KwHr which is true but you must factor in the increased day rate (about 42p/kWh for most compared to capped 32p).

 

[Mike SOS]

Whilst on the subject of charging. Does anybody know of a reliable companies for solar panels DIY kits for EV cars?